New York spends millions sending homeless people to other states

As part of a special program, New York sends homeless people to other states without informing host municipalities that they are sending them homeless people. Millions of dollars have already been spent on this. It is reported New York Post.

A special one-time assistance program (SOTA), established in 2017 by Mayor Bill de Blasio, cost taxpayers about $ 90 million. As part of it, the homeless receive annual rental income and travel expenses to move to another place.

Homeless people and families can get this help if they prove that they have been living in a New York shelter for at least 90 days and that their total income is no more than twice the rent debt.

So, already more than 5000 families (12 thousand people) were "exported to different places on the mainland of the United States, and some were even sent to Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

“Thus, a homeless family could hypothetically receive about $ 1500 for one-way tickets to Hawaii, an average of about $ 17000 per year of rent (which obviously depends on location) and even $ 1000 to equip their new home under one program,” says the message.

The city would probably argue that it is as expensive as it sounds. After all, this is actually cheaper than the cost of housing, which, according to officials, is about $ 41 thousand / year per family.

On the subject: Construction of urban apartments for the homeless Los Angeles will cost more than private homes

However, there is a risk that the city will pay the homeless now to send them from New York, and then pay for them again when they return. The source notes that hundreds of homeless families as a result return to one of the five boroughs of the city, and some even sue New York for being left in barely suitable conditions.

SOTA Investigation

Numerous external agencies and organizations have begun investigations as part of the SOTA program.

Jacqueline Simone, a political analyst at the Coalition for the Homeless, said the organization initially saw many complaints about the terms of this program.

Now, according to him, when the program has been running for a long time and the SOTA subsidy is expiring, it can be estimated more realistically.

“Imagine this. If you send a homeless person to another city with a ton of money, unattended and possibly without support around, this may not solve all his problems. It’s as if homelessness was not a problem in which you can invest money so that it disappears. ”